Values Based Recruitment

[Zillini]

Originally Posted by keystone 209

As the Vice Pres of Recruitment for my chapter, I'm working really hard to lead my chapter from the static-twice-per-year recruitment to a year round values-based one. Problem is, they don't seem to be taking it very well. We had our sisterhood retreat this weekend, and I did a 3 hour workshop with them (attempting) to show my sisters why we need to change things now and leave a lasting system to best ensure quality sisters, even after we're gone.

They agreed with lots of things I said, but a key component- creating a set of values-based membership criteria- they all disagreed with. All I heard was stuff like "But I know personally my grades weren't the best before joining, being in D Phi E has made them so much better! How do we know that won't happen to another girl" (when talking about raising the academic criteria higher than the one set by Panhel) or "We can't just cut a girl based on some things we come up with today before we even meet her" or "We just have to take a risk, the older sisters took a risk on us and we turned out well." I tried my best to explain to them how leaving it to chance is one of the best ways to drive the chapter into the ground, but they wouldn't listen.

It was so frustrating! They would not see my point, the fact that we're taking that risk on our chapter's future could completely backfire, and that without a systematic way of reviewing PNMs, we're leaving it up to whatever people can come up with. We're full of very diverse, type-a personalities (myself included) so once a disagreement like that gets started, its hard to pull anything back. I was at really starting to get worked up about it so I dropped it for the time, but I know I need to bring it up again at our first meeting next week, recruitment is only 3 weeks away. Does anyone have any suggestions of how to approach this in a different manner? Or things I could bring up to show my sisters that "taking a risk" is one of the worst things we could do?

Maybe I'm reading more into your post than you intended or meant. It sounded like you were telling the members what standards they should look for in PNMs. Instead I would suggest going about it in a different way and put the ball in their court so to speak.

Ask your members what qualities they feel make a good member? A good sister? A good friend? What are your goals for the entire organization? To increase membership numbers? Scholarship? Strengthen sisterhood? Etc.

Get a big poster board or sheet of paper and make a list. Keep it posted in your chapter room (or equivalent) to look at, be reminded of and if necessary revise as needed. These will then become the standards that you all look and strive to achieve. If everyone realizes that the whole chapter is working towards certain goals they will hopefully support it.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by keystone 209

I wasn't telling them WHAT to used as benchmarks. That was the purpose of previous workshops in the day, finding out together as a chapter the type of values we're looking for in both ourselves, the chapter, and PNMs. They sounded supportive and liked the idea of it until we actually had to create criteria and tangible representations of those values.

Well, that's because rush is full of intangibles.

You can say that (example) you want to improve the overall GPA of the chapter and not take anyone who has under a 3.25 - but what if a woman comes in who is pretty, nice, well known on campus and everyone loves her - but she has a 2.7? Are you going to ax her because she doesn't fit the GPA part? That would be cutting off your nose to spite your face.

And of course, there's the chance you will take the girl with the awesome GPA, she'll meet a guy at the first mixer she goes to, start spending all her time with him and flunk out.

I Heart Recruitment and things like that are great, but if you take them too literally, you're missing the point. It's to make you more aware that rush is not just twice a year but all year round.

I also caution you against getting out of formal rush totally (not sure if you are planning on this, I couldn't tell). You need both kinds of recruitment to succeed.

Oh, and for God's sake, teach them the names of the founders. The amount of people who don't know their GLO's history is appalling.

[Kansas City]

Originally Posted by keystone 209

That's pretty much their argument, but at least personally, I don't see a big deal in creating a set of criteria and then taking the girls on a case by case basis...i mean for example, if she fits everything else but has a relatively low GPA, we can make it a point in the next round/next time we see her to find out her attitude towards academics and school. Or a girl who hasn't had the opportunity to involved yet on campus but we can gauge her potential by finding out what she would like to do, had the opportunity arose. Make sense? I know these sound like things my girls should do anyway, but we aren't the best at rushing...lots of my sisters freak out and just babble on about whatever, despite the hours we spent practicing and going over what we need to find out.

Excuse me for asking but, what is the point of establishing a set of criteria if you are going to take everyone on a case-by-case basis?

[33girl]

Originally Posted by keystone 209

because right now we have no criteria whatsover. its whatever- "oh i talked to her and she was really cool. i liked her." <--- is about all the benchmarks we're using at the moment, and its a pretty flawed system. actually a pretty flawed lack-of-system

umm, I'm guessing that you need to contact your national recruitment chair ASAP. I'm guessing that you have a system in place on a national basis that requires more specifics than this and would clear up a LOT of the problem.

[Kansas City]

Originally Posted by keystone 209

because right now we have no criteria whatsover. its whatever- "oh i talked to her and she was really cool. i liked her." <--- is about all the benchmarks we're using at the moment, and its a pretty flawed system. actually a pretty flawed lack-of-system

I guess my point is that if you create goals (ex: we want to win volleyball intramurals) and set criteria to meet these goals (ex: PNMs must have volleyball experience) but then ignore these criteria on a case-by-case basis during recruitment (ex: the PNM is 6'4" and likes to watch volleyball) are you really ever going to be able to obtain the goal you are setting for your chapter or are you just going to make excuses for each PNM that comes through the door?

[Zillini]

Originally Posted by keystone 209

I just hate it when I've worked so hard on something and I know it'll make our chapter better and everyone just like...refuses to change if it involves radically different way of doing things.

There's the problem IMO. People hate change period. When it's radical change, they'll fight tooth and nail. Based on what the OP posted about members saying their grades weren't that good before joining, I think another problem is some sisters feel that had these high standards been in place when they were recruited they wouldn't have qualified. Therefore maybe they wouldn't feel like they belong in this "new and improved" sorority. Or it might make them feel like hypocrites to say "Sure I only had a 2.3 when I joined, but you need a 2.7."

I suggest devising more long term strategies/goals with small changes each year. People can accept that easier. More importantly I'd like to re-emphasize what AOII Angel suggested. Contact your I/natl officers. They have a wealth of information about all areas of sorority life available to them. Their job and their purpose is to help chapters grow and be successful. You don't need to re-invent the wheel. Maybe request one of the traveling consultants come for a visit with their primary mission to be recruitment training/prep.

Too often collegians get hung up thinking their chapter and/or their campus is so unique that I/natl would never understand. In reality there are very, very few situations where that is actually true.

[LPIDelta]

keystone--I am sending you a PM.

As far as VBR, it works as long as you set the standards and stick with them.